


Two plants intertwined to keep a pillar whole

by GalaxyPixel



Series: Trektober 2020 [7]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Getting Together, JIm is surprised, M/M, Soulmarks, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, finding your soulmate, realising he's in love, taking way too long to realise you're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26881954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyPixel/pseuds/GalaxyPixel
Summary: Leonard has a soulmark, he didn't know this. Now he needs to find out who his soulmate is, because he hadn't even realised he had fallen in love!
Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock
Series: Trektober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956337
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55
Collections: Trektober 2020





	Two plants intertwined to keep a pillar whole

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from the great Jules <3 (about the marks, he created them, so thank you)  
> I planned on doing like a short one, but it ended up almost 2k of fluff. so yeah, hope you enjoy!
> 
> explanation about the soulmarks:  
> when you love someone you get a mark that represents the both of you together. if they love you back they also get a mark, in the same spot. it grows bigger the more you love them. if you fall out of love the mark disappears again. if you love multiple people at the same time you have multiple marks.
> 
> Written for Trektober 2020, Day 7: Soulmates

Leonard stood in the shower, getting clean. He couldn’t afford a water shower, not until they docked at a starbase next week. The water reserve had to be saved for the important things, not a shower when he could use a sonic one. 

‘’Bones, hello????’’

Leonard sighed. Jim did not wait today, apparently, he wanted to spend their free day every minute with Leonard. ‘’In the shower Jim! Wait a sec!’’

Jim barged into the bathroom. ‘’You’re taking too slow, come on!’’

Leonard walked out, Jim trailing behind him. He grabbed some clothes, and just when he grabbed his shirt to put on, he heard Jim gasp. 

‘’What’s wrong Jim?’’

‘‘You… Bones… How could you?! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?’’

Leonard turned around and looked confused at Jim. ‘’Yes I did, what about it?’’

‘’And you never told me?! How could you man? I thought we were best friends!’’

Jim looked betrayed and sad, Leonard was really confused now. ‘’Jim, what’s this about?’’

‘’Your soulmate mark! The big ass tattoo on your back! You couldn’t have told me sooner you love someone? Are you already dating? Why didn’t you tell me?’’

Leonard held up his hand to stop Jim from talking. If he went off there was no stopping him. ‘’Jim, Jim, wait. Take a deep breath. What tattoo? What soulmark? I don’t have any of them?’’

Jim sighed. ‘’When I asked if you look in the mirror, you don’t look at your back right?’’

Leonard shook his head. ‘’No, why would I?’’

‘’Because… it’s easier if I just show you. Go turn around, I’ll take a picture.’’

Leonard did as Jim asked and sat down on his bed. He was still slightly confused what Jim was talking about. Jim sat next to him and showed him the picture he just took. 

‘’Look, you have a soulmark. And it’s big. So it’s not a new love or anything.’’

Leonard stared at the picture in shock. He had a soulmark on his back! There, on the picture! He had a soulmark? The last soulmark he had was of Jocelyn. When he was at the start of his second year at the Academy, he realised it was gone completely. He had no love at all for her, not anymore. And now he was in love again? And it was already for quite a while, a real serious love. How could he not have noticed? He stared at Jim.

‘’I..I… I didn’t know! Jim, you have to believe me I wouldn’t keep this from you!’’

Jim put his hands on Bones’ knees. ‘’Hey, hey, calm down. Okay? I know you wouldn’t hide it from me, I am sorry for saying you would. It’s just this massive, how can you not have noticed it before? Who is it? Who are you in love with?’’

Leonard looked more panicked after that question. He didn’t know! He didn’t know who he was in love with! And it was his soulmate too!

‘’Okay, so you don’t know. We’ll figure it out Bones, we got this. We’re in it together, I will help you find your soulmate. Let’s look at the mark for hints, okay?’’

They both stared at the picture. It was a beautiful mark. It was some form of ruins with two plants growing from the ruins and becoming one as they got together. The plants were filling up the cracks of the fallen pillar, helping it be whole. It was a really wonderful mark. But it gave no hints at all. No favourite animal or a hobby to be seen.

‘’Don’t worry Bones. It’s a really nice soulmark. One of a kind, only your soulmate has the same. There will probably be someone on the ship who will get it, right? Just make sure to check all their backs. Like a physical check-up!’’

Leonard looked at Jim and shook his head. ‘’I am not going to abuse my medical work like that Jim. And besides, that would mean they love me back. Let’s leave it as the very last option, okay? I’ll try to think first who it might be. Then we can talk about your crazy weird plans.’’

Jim grinned and stood up. ‘’Yeah! Now let’s go get breakfast, we already lost time from our free day with your soulmark, we shouldn’t waste more!’’

During the day Leonard was distracted. No matter what Jim made him do, or pulled him along to, he kept thinking about his soulmark. It was really big, which meant he really loved his soulmate. And it hadn’t happened overnight either. They spent years in space, which meant his soulmate was one of the crewmembers. That’s when he decided to make a mental list of the crewmembers he interacted with. He then ranked them in different categories: friends, coworkers, best friends, coworkers but looks good; and the box: nope!

So far Leonard didn’t get very far. He knew it wasn’t Jim. He loved him like a brother, nothing more. The next person he kept coming back to was Spock. He really liked the man. They were coworkers, friends even. They argued friendly during dinner and watched each others back on away missions. Spock found everything interesting and when he didn’t understand something he called it illogical. He had nice hands, long and smooth. His hair could get a better haircut, but Leonard wasn’t complaining. Spock looked the best when he learned something new. He didn’t smile with his mouth, but his eyes would lit up and Leonard loved that.

......  
Loved?!  
Leonard loved Spock? Chief Science Officer? First Officer? His and Jim’s best friend? Well shit. He stopped walking and looked around. Where would Spock be right now?

‘’Bones? What’s going on?’’ Jim looked concerned and walked back to Leonard.

‘’I gotta go Jim. I’ll tell you tomorrow! Sorry to cut our day short.’’ He turned around and started jogging towards Spock's quarters. He hoped the man was there, it was the end of his shift and he didn’t do much before dinner. Leonard hoped to catch him there, so he could talk to Spock in private. He did not want this soulmate thing to be talked about in public.

Leonard looked around Spock's room. He’d been here before when the man had been sick and he went by as his doctor. but now it was different. He wasn’t here because Spock was sick.

‘’Leonard, welcome. Can I ask what brings you here?’’

Leonard stared at Spock, in his presence his words didn’t want to come out. How was he going to explain to this amazing person that he thought they were soulmates. He had one solution left, besides talking. He turned his back to Spock and pulled his shirt off. If Spock was human, he probably would’ve heard a gasp, like Jim. But now he heard nothing. After half a minute he decided Spock was being quiet for too long and turned back around again, shirt still in his hands.

‘’You have realised you love me,’’ Spock stated. He didn’t look confused or surprised. Spock stood there as relaxed as when Leonard entered. ‘’I am glad. Now I can share this with you.’’

Spock then did something Leonard did not expect. Spock pulled his own shirt off and turned around, showing his own back to Leonard! Before Leonard had time to fully appreciate a half-naked Spock, his eyes were drawn to the soulmark on Spocks back. It was the same as his, and it looked even more beautiful in real life. A picture didn’t do it justice. He walked up to Spock and touched the mark. They were soulmates! Spock loved him too!

‘’It’s… it’s beautiful. I love it. I love you, Spock. Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could have been together much earlier!’’

Spock turned around and grasped Leonard's hands. ‘’I wanted you to come to me on your own terms. When I found my mark it was small, and I knew if I went to you, you would still be in denial. Mine has been big for a while, but yours hasn’t. I wanted to wait until you were comfortable enough with your love to confront it. I did not expect you to take this long, it is already very big and only now you decide to seek me out?’’

Leonard realised a couple of things at once. One: Spock had loved him for a long time, and kept quiet so Leonard could realise it himself. Two: Spock had been watching him in the pool at night, how else could he know how big his soulmark was? And three: Spock thought he knew about the soulmark before today and just didn’t accept the fact he loved Spock. He had to set this straight because that was not the case.

‘’Spock, darling no! Okay, it took me a while before I realised I loved you, but I didn’t even know I had the mark! Jim found it this morning when he barged in on me getting dressed. He was as sad as you are, that I hadn’t told him about the mark. But I don’t look at my back in the mirror. After the divorce, I never expected to get another soulmate, so I didn’t go looking all over my body for a new mark. So I only found out about it today. And then it took me some time to realise it was you. As soon as I realised it, I came here. Please, Spock. I didn’t know.’’

Leonard realised he almost sounded desperate at the end. He just didn’t want Spock to get the wrong impression off him. He wanted Spock to love him as much as he loved Spock.

‘’Ashayam, I love you. Don’t doubt that.’’ Spock hugged him close, both half-naked. Then he looked into Leonard’s eyes.

‘’Now that you have realised that you love me, will you be my partner? My beloved? Forever?’’

Leonard smiled. He knew Spock didn’t mean this as a marriage proposal, but it did slightly sound like one. And he was surprised to find out he didn’t mind at all.

‘’Yes Spock, I’ll be your boyfriend.’’ And he kissed him passionately. 

The next morning Jim was looking around the bridge bored. Bones still hadn’t visited the bridge this morning and he had also given no explanation why he ran off yesterday. He was very curious about why that happened. So every time the turbo lift doors opened he turned his head, hoping it was Bones.

‘’Hey, I came to the bridge as you asked.’’ Bones walked onto the bridge. Jim didn’t remember asking for him, but he didn’t mind. Bones was here!

And Bones walked straight past Jim. Hello? Best friend? Was he replaced last night without any comments? He saw Bones walk up to Spock and hand him something. They talked with low voices, and even when the bridge wasn’t that big, Jim didn’t hear them. When Bones left Spock, their fingers brushed together like a Vulcan kiss.

‘’Bones?!’’

Jim looked towards Bones in excitement. That one-word having multiple meanings. Bones nodded, confirming Jim’s question. Jim couldn’t believe it. His two best friends being soulmates! Getting together! And they had an awesome soulmark to show too! He was not jealous of them, not at all. He was happy for them, they deserved it. 

Just sad that Uhura won the betting pool and not him. Uhura should be banned from betting, she was way too good at reading people's body languages. At least there was no betting pool about him. Right??


End file.
